Fish pedicure treatments use small fish to nibble dead skin from human feet. These practices raise animal welfare, hygiene, and regulatory questions that are being resolved differently across jurisdictions.
Fish pedicure welfare represents a small-scale but instructive case of using animals for cosmetic services with inadequate welfare consideration. Garra rufa fish in spa settings experience confinement in small tanks, repeated exposure to novel human feet, temperature instability, and deliberate underfeeding to increase their motivation to nibble. Whether these fish experience significant suffering is uncertain, but the precautionary welfare case for avoiding unnecessary animal use in cosmetic contexts is straightforward. The hygiene concerns that have led to bans in several jurisdictions complement the welfare case for phasing out fish pedicure practices. Effective alternatives exist, making the continued use of fish for cosmetic purposes unnecessary.